Reception 5:30 p.m.
Dinner 6:30 p.m.
Meeting after Dinner
This meeting will be held at the Sheraton Hotel in Needham
Our Guests | |
| Joseph Zellner | The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment |
|---|---|
| Rev. Kevin Cunningham | Pastor First Baptist Church, Bedford |
| Rev. Jean Winer-Trophas | Sr. Pastor Union Church of God |
| Mr. Rops Previl | Director Boston Baptist Social Union |
Meeting Agenda | |
| Welcome | President Christopher Gianacoplis |
| Song | “The Old Rugged Cross” |
| Invocation | Rev. Kevin Cunningham |
| Dinner | |
| Business | |
| Program | Patriots of Color: The 54th Massachusetts in the Civil War |
| Benediction | Rev. Jean Winer-Trophas |
The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company A is a nonprofit educational 501(c)(3) organization of living historians who preserve the legacy of the first regiment of black volunteer soldiers, raised in the North during the Civil War. The 19th century military volunteers came from many states of the nation and some from outside of the United States. They were trained in Readville, Massachusetts. Along with the women of the Colored Ladies Christian Relief Society, we reenact and share the role of retelling the history of the men on the battlefield and the women at home who supported the soldiers during the era of the Civil War.
This reenacting company was first formed in 1990 when interested parties met and created The 54th Massachusetts Glory Brigade. An auxilary group was formed in cooperation of the regiment, as the Colored Ladies Christian Relief Society. This society was modeled after the Civil War era Ladies of the Blue Hills Aid Society. The reenactors strive to learn, portray, and be a reminder of the roles that those men and women of the 19th century played and the advantages and support they contributed in the ante- and post-bellum historical periods. during the past 35 years, more than 200 reenactors have been members in the organizations. We are a group of 25 volunteers who operate under the direction of a Board of Directors, guided by our organizational by-laws. Membership is open to any citizen and members are expected to fill appropriate historical roles. For more than three decades, Company A reenactors have presented its history and the history of the 54th MVIR to innumerable citizens through civic, governmental, public, educational, and living-history event presentations.
The reenactors of The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company A and the Colored Ladies Christian Relief Society[The Company], represent a look at the life and legacy of “Colored Soldiers in the Civil War.” The deeds and legacy of Massachusetts' first colored soldiers in the Civil War, 1863-1865, is told through song, character interpretation, dramatization, script, recitation, and living-history reenactmens. Some of the soldiers' stories are familiar; many are not. Yet, all are interesting and uniquely retold by The Comany. The legacy of the 19th century 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment continues to be represented in the 21st century. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts still honors that legacy through its active-duty, National Guard 54th Massachusetts Regiment, Company C, which today serves as the Commonwealth's Military Honor Guard.